Lost In Darkness
by Lincoln Six Echo
Summary: ROTS AU. Across the galaxy three men, a Jedi Master, a Jedi Knight and a blind healer have visions of Padme's death. Will this change the galaxy's future? QuiGon, ObiWan, Anakin, Asajj Ventress.
1. Chapter 1

Lost in Darkness

**Lost in Darkness**

**By Lincoln Six Echo**

"_Anakin, help me! Help, Anakin! Anakin, I love you. I love you."_

_Padme is lying on an operating table. She is screaming, her face contorted in pain. Medical droids surround her while two human doctors speak urgently to each other, their grim faces showing their desperation._

"_We are losing her," one says, shaking his head. "The haemorrhage is too extensive."_

_The monitor connected to Padme starts beeping frantically as one of the doctors shouts a series of orders. "Her heart is failing! She is dying!"…_

Anakin Skywalker woke with a start, his bare chest covered by a cold sweat. Taking deep breaths, he looked at his side, where Padme was sleeping peacefully.

He slipped out from beneath the sheets and sat on the side of the bed, holding his head in his hands, trying to calm his hurried breath.

The dream had shaken him to his core. It was too detailed, too vivid to be just a nightmare. He raised his eyes to briefly look at the ceiling.

_Please no, not another time_, he pleaded, his eyes filling with tears as his memory returned to another dream like this…a dream he would never forget because in it, he had seen his Mother's death.

Anakin stood upon shaking legs and after donning his sleep top, he left the bedroom and went to the open veranda, wishing to breathe some fresh air to clear his mind.

Coruscant stretched all around him, still smouldering from the recent Separatist attack. Anakin closed his eyes, but his meditation attempt was cut short when he heard steps coming closer.

Turning around he saw his wife descend the stairs and join him on the veranda. Padmé stopped by his side, and took his hand in her smaller one.

"What's bothering you?" she asked softly.

"Nothing . . ." Anakin answered, not wishing to upset her in her delicate condition. He forced a smile as he touched the japor snippet hanging from his wife's neck. "I remember when I gave this to you."

Padme pursed her lips and murmured, "Anakin, how long is it going to take for us to be honest with each other?"

Anakin felt like cursing. Sometimes his Angel was too perceptive. Unwilling to upset her, he decided to tell her the truth, "It was a dream."

"Bad?"

"Like the ones I used to have about my mother just before she died."

"And?" Padme pressed him, her brown, determinate eyes never leaving his own.

"It was about you." Anakin finally said, hoping she would not press for more details.

No such luck.

"Tell me," Padme urged him, coming even closer.

"It was only a dream," he insisted, but his wife's eyes compelled him to tell her everything. "You die in childbirth . . ."

"And the baby?"

He shook his head. "I don't know."

"It was only a dream," Padme forced a smile as Anakin took her in his arm, holding her as tightly as he could.

"I won't let this one become real, Padme," he murmured fiercely in her hair. "Nothing will happen to you or the child." _I promise._

Padme nodded, her chin rubbing against his chest as they both basked in the warmth and safety of their embrace.


	2. Chapter 2

"Anakin, help me

"_Anakin, help me! Help, Anakin!"_

_Senator Amidala is lying on an operating table. She is screaming, her face contorted in pain. Medical droids surround her while two human doctors speak urgently to themselves, their grim faces showing their desperation._

"_We are losing her," one says, shaking his head. "The haemorrhage is too extensive."_

"_At least we were able to save the twins…"_

"_Yeah…"_

_The monitor connected to Senator Amidala starts beeping frantically as one of the doctors shouts a series of orders. "Her heart is failing!"_

_Suddenly the door of the surgery room opens and a man enters. Of average height, he has reddish-brown hair, a well-trimmed beard, and blue-grey eyes that are devoid of light and yet very luminous._

_He steps near the operating table and takes the woman's hand in his own. "Hang on Padme," he says in a clear, cultured voice. "You have twins, Padme They need you . . . hang on…"_

_Then he closes his eyes and a mask of total concentration falls on his face. _

_Silence reigns in the room as the Senator's screams cease and the frantic beeping of the monitor calms down._

_Colour returns to the new mother's cheeks, her heart now beats strongly. The haemorrhage has stopped._

_The bearded man opens his eyes and smiles. "She will be all right," he says._

_One of the doctors stares at him open-mouthed. "This is incredible. How did you do it?"_

"_I used the Force. I commanded the midi-chlorians inside her…told them to repair the damage in her body…"_

"_The Force? Are you a Jedi?"_

"_No."_

"_Then who are you?"_

"_I am-"_

"- and my vision ends here, Master Yoda, Mace," Qui-Gon Jinn said turning around from the window he had been looking out to face the other two Jedi in the room.

"Always at the same point it ends?" Yoda asked.

"Yes," Qui-Gon answered with a half-sigh, before moving back to sit on the round plush chair in front of Yoda. "It always ends after this mysterious man saves Senator Amidala. I have tried to relive the vision during meditation, to make it longer and learn the man's name, but to no avail."

Yoda and Mace Windu exchanged a glance before the diminutive master said, "Visited me Young Skywalker did yesterday. Troubled he was. Worried because of a vision he was. Someone dear to him dying he saw. Told him this person to let go, I did, but my advice, follow he would not."

"Are you saying Anakin is having a vision similar to mine? That he is seeing Padme's death?"

"It would be logical, don't you think?" Mace Windu intervened in the discussion. "We all know Skywalker is very attached to the Senator."

"To his wife," Qui-Gon mumbled, once again experiencing the pang he had first felt when Mace and Yoda had informed him Anakin had married Padme Amidala, just after Geonosis.

Back then, Qui-Gon had wanted to confront Anakin about his blatant break of the Jedi Code. However the two masters had stopped him, although they had not elaborated on why he should not do it—and they had decided to keep their discovery secret and not expel his Padawan from the order. Qui-Gon had suspected their behaviour might have been influenced by the fact that Anakin was reputed to be the Chosen One, and that feeling returned now.

"What's going on, Masters? I sense you have kept something hidden since the moment you discovered Anakin was married and I would like to know what it is. He is my former padawan and my friend. I think I have the right to know, especially now that I am experiencing these visions."

Qui-Gon fell silent and watched as Yoda and Windu exchanged another long glance, and the green master nodded.

Mace turned to concentrate on Qui-Gon and leant forward, fingers steepled in front of his face.

"Shortly before Geonosis, as Master Nu was running a search in our archives to discover who had erased Kamino from our records, she found an ancient tome. Inside, there was a previously unknown version of the Chosen One prophecy. The first part was similar to the one we already knew, but the last part was completely new." Mace took out a datapad from his inner pocket, switched it on and then read:

"_A time will come when the Darkness will tempt the Chosen One,_

_When fear he will feel for someone he loves._

_But a man will come to help him._

_Lost in darkness, filled with Light,_

_The knight that should have been will save the Chosen One's love._

_And Darkness will not prevail."_

The Korun master put away the datapad and continued, "As soon as we read this, we began wondering who the person might be that Anakin would fear to lose. We thought it might be his mother, but we discovered she had recently died. We thought it might be you. And then, after seeing them fight side by side on Geonosis, we thought it might be Senator Amidala. So we put Jedi to guard over her—this is how we discovered their marriage. She is guarded and protected every moment, but now we know from your vision the danger to her won't come from another life attempt but by her own labour."

"It makes sense," Qui-Gon said slowly, his mind lost in thought.

"We want you to find the man you see in your visions, Qui-Gon."

"What?!" his head snapped up, and he did not try to cover his surprise.

"Only you can do it, because you know his face."

"But how can I find him? I have no clue from where I can start my search."

"Wrong, you are. Clues in the prophecy there are," Yoda exclaimed, tapping the floor with his gimer stick to prove his point.

Qui-Gon frowned, then thought back to the lines Mace had just recited.

"_The knight that should have been_…Uhm…Could this indicate someone who should have been a Jedi?" Qui-Gon rubbed his beard as he developed his theory. "It's possible since in my vision it is clear the man used the Force to heal Padme. But this isn't very helpful. Many times Force sensitive children aren't discovered or not given to the Temple for training. Or could this line indicate an initiate that failed to be chosen as padawan by a master?"

"We have been wondering about this possibility since the new part of the prophecy was discovered. I've a complete list of initiates that failed to be chosen in the past two hundred years on my computer," Mace commented, "but I never had enough time to study it in detail due to the war. I will send it to your quarters."

Qui-Gon nodded. "Does the list include the initiates sent to the Healers Corps?"

"Yes, of course."

"Of what '_lost in darkness'_ can mean an idea you have?" asked Yoda.

Qui-Gon frowned. "I don't think it refers to the dark side; otherwise the other line, _'full of Light' _wouldn't make sense." He closed his eyes and concentrated, recalling his vision and the mysterious man's face. There was something strange in it…what was it? There…his eyes! The Jedi master smiled slowly. "He is blind," he finally said. "He is _'lost in darkness'_ because he cannot see."

Mace half-smiled as Yoda's ears perched up. "This should be helpful to narrow down the search."

"Only if the man was already blind when he was here at the Temple— admitting he has been an Initiate, something we are not sure of."

"That's right," Mace commented, sobering again. He shook his head, before continuing. "Qui-Gon, start this search at once. The knights guarding Senator Amidala have reported her pregnancy is quite advanced and her labour could start soon. Anakin Skywalker is already fearing for her life and thus, if the prophecy is right, we can presume the Sith Lord will soon come out to tempt him. We have no idea of how he may tempt Skywalker, what kind of offer he would make, but we cannot let it happen. You must find that man Qui-Gon. It's too important."

Qui-Gon nodded, pursing his lips.

Yes, it was too important. He loved Anakin and he had faith in him, but he could not deny the fact his former padawan had been a cause of concern lately. He had changed during the war and become more reserved, brooding…darker. The man, the teacher inside Qui-Gon could not, would not believe Anakin would ever betray the Jedi and let the darkness consume him-- the Jedi inside him knew he could not rule it out completely.

The only way to prevent it was to bring the prophecy to its fulfilment. Out there, in the galaxy, there was a man lost in darkness—and Qui-Gon Jinn would find him.


	3. Chapter 3

The woman is lying on an operating table

_The woman is lying on an operating table. She is screaming, her face contorted in pain. Medical droids surround her while two human doctors speak urgently to themselves, their grim faces showing their desperation._

"_We are losing her," one says, shaking his head. "The haemorrhage is too extensive."_

"_At least we were able to save the twins…"_

"_Yeah…"_

_The monitor connected to her starts beeping frantically as one of the doctors shouts a series of orders. "Her heart is failing!"_

_He looks as the scene unfolds from behind a window. He is surprised because he should not be able to see, and yet he does._

_His eyes move from the woman to a blond haired young man standing in a corner of the room. He is screaming too, begging the doctors to save his wife, to save his Padme, but the beeping of the monitors grows more and more urgent until the sound changes._

"_She is dead," one of the doctors says._

_His eyes dart back over the young man. He has fallen on his knees and he is weeping. There is something unsettling in his pain…it is turning into rage. Terrible, furious, uncontrolled rage._

"_NO!" The young man screams as he rises to his feet. He waves his hands, causing objects to fly around the room, while all the transpirsteel things in the surgery room, window included, are smashed._

_The medical droids are crashed, as if an invisible giant hand is squeezing them, while the two doctors bring their hands to their throats and their faces turn purple, as if they have trouble breathing._

_Then the blond man turns to face him, and the onlooker recoils from the sight of his yellow, red rimmed eyes…the eyes of a man consumed by the dark side…_

Obi-Wan Kenobi woke up with a start, and sat up on the mattress, his eyes wide open. He blinked them several time, still shaken by what he had seen. After twenty years spent in complete darkness, using his hands, the Force and, rarely, his bond-mate's eyes to relate with the world around him, it was disconcerting to 'see' such incredible images.

Disconcerting and worrying, because this did not seem to be an ordinary dream…

The mattress shifted as his bond-mate turned on her side and murmured, "Are you all right?"

He nodded. "Yes, I'm. Don't worry, go back to sleep."

The mattress shifted again and two feminine but very strong arms surrounded him from behind, as a chin came to rest on his bare shoulder.

"You aren't all right Ben," a rough voice murmured directly into his ear. "Something has been troubling your sleep for the past several nights. You haven't been resting well, and now I want to know why."

Obi-Wan grunted at the strong squeeze his bond-mate gave him to emphasize her words. He deeply loved her, but gentleness and patience had never been among her strongest points.

He took one of her hands in his own and caressed it, enjoying the feel of the soft skin on the back, so different from her calloused palms. There had been a time he too had sported calluses, but they had disappeared in the twenty five years elapsed since he had last held a lightsabre.

"I'm waiting," his bond-mate hissed, nipping at his neck and he realized she would not relent until he told her everything.

"I have been having strange dreams," he began slowly. "I'm outside a surgery room, watching as a woman that has just given birth dies because of a haemorrhage. She is attended by high quality medical droids and trained doctors, but they cannot do anything for her. And then there is her husband…a blond haired young man dressed all in black. He is full of despair and rage and when his wife dies he destroys the room using the Force…and his eyes…his eyes are yellow. It's a frightening sight. I can feel the dark side gather inside him…"

Obi-Wan shivered and his woman hugged him more tightly, before running a hand along his bare back, trying to relax him.

"It's just a nightmare, Ben," she whispered, changing positions and kneeling by his side. She cupped his bearded cheeks in her hands and kissed his brow, nose and closed eyelids. "Only a nightmare."

"No, it isn't. It's a vision. I've always had some prescience, and I know it's the future I'm seeing. I can feel that if this woman, this Padme dies, something terrible will happen to the galaxy. The man in black—he is more than a distraught husband. He is powerful in the Force…too powerful…" Obi-Wan shivered another time and his bond-mate embraced him again.

"Shh…calm down. Release your emotions into the Force. It doesn't do you any good to be in such turmoil. Breathe deeply…in…out…in…out…"

Obi-Wan did as she had instructed and he soon felt peace wash over him. He relaxed in his bond-mate's arms and smiled against her chest, before ghosting a kiss on her pale skin.

"I thought I would never see the day you would be the calm and collected one between us," he whispered.

"You have taught me many things in these seven years Ben, more than you know. You taught me how to control my anger and let go of my negative emotions. You have replaced my hate with love—and I will never thank you enough for it." Her voice trembled with her emotions, and Obi-Wan smiled again as he thought now she would probably deny it if he pointed it out to her. "You are an incredibly gifted teacher, so powerful in the Force…I still cannot understand and accept how the Jedi could cast you away. You know, you could be a master by now. A hero of the Clone Wars as Skywalker, Jinn and Windu…"

There was a familiar undertone of anger in his mate's voice as she talked about the Jedi. No matter how Obi-Wan had tried to explain to her he had not been cast away, no matter how hard he had tried to make her understand it was not the Jedi's fault if her late master had been left alone on her homeworld, he had not been able to completely convince her.

"I wouldn't be here with you if I were a Jedi, darling," he commented, knowing that despite her hard exterior, his bond-mate craved and needed his love and tenderness. "The Jedi Code forbids attachment, as you know well. Also, I'm happy with what I do here on Langara. I prefer to save lives instead of ending them."

She nodded. "I know, Ben, but sometimes I cannot help but wonder. All, right, now that you have finally relaxed, what about returning to sleep? Tomorrow morning I will have to leave to collect a group of refugees coming from Rekam and I am afraid that once they are here you won't have a lot of time to rest."

Obi-Wan nodded, "You are right." He kissed her on the lips, a kiss full of love and just a hint of passion, then let go of her and reclined back on the mattress. His bond-mate imitated him, and soon he fell in a blessedly dreamless sleep.

Asajj Ventress stayed awake a bit longer, idly caressing Ben's hair as he slumbered at her side.

It always made her feel unsettled when he lost his trademark calm and serenity. It never happened for futile reasons, which meant this vision he was having was troubling him more than he wanted to disclose.

Asajj grimaced. She hated when Ben kept things from her in an attempt to always look strong and perfect in her eyes. She hated it because she knew it was her fault if he believed he had to behave like that.

She had despised him at the beginning of their relationship, reputing him weak and powerless because he was blind and used the Force not to fight and destroy enemies as she did, but to help beings more pathetic than him.

His inner serenity, his calm acceptance of all the insults she had covered him with had infuriated her until, little by little, her opinion of him had changed. She had learned to see his real strength and her disdain had transformed into respect, admiration and finally love.

Asajj smiled to herself as she remembered how stunned she had been when she had realized she had fallen in love with Ben. She had always thought love was a weakness and never imagined it could instead be a strength, two people joined so deeply that they became one in front of the difficulties life threw at them.

She was not a sweet or romantic woman, but she had learned to put her mate's needs before her own and found a satisfaction greater than any of her previous, hollow victories against her enemies, in making Ben happy.

Asajj turned her head and kissed Ben's temple, studying his strong profile in the moonlight and felt a familiar tug at her heart.

She was bonded for life to a former Jedi, a kind she had despised for most of her life. A man that could be so infuriating with his selfless, self-sacrificing attitude. That could manage to make her feel guilty with just a whispered word when she lost her temper and gave in to her anger—but she would not trade that bond for anything in the universe. The Force had given them to each other and she would never allow any evil to harm Ben. She would protect him from everything, even from his dreams if necessary.

Her resolve strengthened, Asajj closed her eyes and settled more comfortably at her mate's side, and let slumber overcome her.


	4. Chapter 4

Anakin landed his speeder near the main entrance of the Galaxy Opera House and jumped out of it

Anakin landed his speeder near the main entrance of the Galaxy Opera House and jumped out of it. Then he ran up the red-carpet covered stairs, using his sharp reflexes to avoid the numerous people crowding the place.

The Chancellor's invitation for that evening's spectacle had been delivered during the morning, but worried as he had been for the new images he was seeing in his vision, Anakin had almost forgotten it.

Finally he reached the Chancellor's private box, where Palpatine was sitting along Mas Amedda and Sly-Moore.

"Sorry for the delay, Chancellor," Anakin said as a form of greeting.

Palpatine smiled at him. "Don't worry, Anakin. Come closer. I have good news. Our Clone Intelligence Units have discovered the location of General Grievous. He is hiding in the

Utapau system."

Anakin brightened a bit. Finally some good news. "At last, we'll be able to capture that monster and end this war."

Palpatine nodded. "I would worry about the collective wisdom of the Council if they

didn't select you for this assignment. You are the best choice by far-- but, they can't always be trusted to do the right thing."

"They try."

The Chancellor turned to face his aides then gestured toward the exit. "Leave us," he ordered, before indicating Anakin should sit at his side. Once they were alone, the older man leant over the Jedi and continued, "Anakin, you know I'm not able to rely on the Jedi Council. If they haven't included you in their plot, they soon will."

Anakin frowned. "I'm not sure I understand."

"You must sense what I have come to suspect-- the Jedi Council wants the control of the Republic. They're planning to betray me."

"I don't think-"

Palpatine looked sorrowfully at Anakin. "Search your feelings, son. You know, don't you?"

Anakin pursed his lips, remembering the discussion he and Qui-Gon had had a few days before. "I know they don't trust you," he finally admitted.

"Or the Senate . . . or the Republic . . . or democracy for that matter."

"I have to admit my trust in them has been shaken," Anakin added, almost unwillingly.

"Why? They asked you to do something that made you feel dishonest, didn't they?" Palpatine asked gently.

The young Jedi did not say anything, and looked down at his hands.

"They asked you to spy on me, didn't they?"

"I don't know ... I don't know what to say." It was true. Anakin was confused as never before in his life. He trusted the Chancellor; he had been a friend and a mentor for most of his life. But he also trusted Qui-Gon, who had been like a father to him since he was a boy. His former teacher had never been in the Council's graces, and yet he agreed with them about Palpatine. They all thought the Chancellor might be dangerous. Anakin did not know who he should believe or side with.

"Remember back to your early teachings, Anakin. 'All those who gain power are afraid to lose it.' Even the Jedi," Palpatine said, interrupting his musings.

"The Jedi use their power for good."

"Good is a point of view, Anakin. And the Jedi point of view is not the only valid one. The Dark Lords of the Sith believe in security and justice also, yet they are considered by the Jedi to be-"

"- evil."

"-from a Jedi's point of view. The Sith and the Jedi are similar in almost every way, including their quest for greater power. The difference between the two is the Sith are not afraid of the dark side of the Force."

"The Sith rely on their passion for their strength. They think inward, only about themselves," Anakin said, feeling compelled to defend the Jedi.

"And the Jedi don't?"

"The Jedi are selfless, they only care about others," Anakin almost growled, staring at the Chancellor with narrowed eyes.

Palpatine smiled. "All right, all right, my boy. I didn't mean to irritate you. So, let's change topic. How is Senator Amidala doing?"

Anakin's face brightened a bit. "She is doing well."

"I see you are a bit more relaxed about this. Are you no longer plagued by that vision you told me about?" Palpatine asked, solicitous.

"No, I still have that vision, but it has gotten more detailed… in a positive way."

"How so?"

"Well, it always begins with Padmé dying in childbirth, but then a man appears and he resuscitates her thanks to the Force."

Palpatine's eyes widened. "This is amazing! Do you know this man?"

Anakin shook his head. "No, I have no idea who he may be… but I was wondering if you could give me a hand in finding him, Chancellor."

"Of course I will help you, Anakin! Tell me, what does he look like?"

"Uhm…he is bearded, with brown-reddish hair. There is some silver near his temples and his eyes look strange…as if they are lifeless…"

Palpatine was silent for a while then turned to face Anakin. "You know Anakin, your description made me think of Darth Plagueis."

"Who?" Anakin frowned.

"Did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Plagueis "the wise"?"

"No."

"I thought not. It's not a story the Jedi would tell you. It's a Sith legend. Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith, so powerful and so wise he could use the Force to influence the midi-chlorians to create life ... He had such a knowledge of the dark side that he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying."

Anakin's eyes widened. It was exactly like in his vision! He swallowed hard, "He could actually save people from death?"

"Yes. The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural."

"What happened to him?"

"He became so powerful . . . the only thing he was afraid of was losing his power, which eventually, of course, he did. Unfortunately, he taught his apprentice everything he knew, then his apprentice killed him in his sleep." Palpatine smiled. " It's ironic he could save others from

death, but not himself."

Anakin took a deep breath to calm down, "Is it possible to learn this power?" he finally asked.

"Not from a Jedi," was the resolute, unquestionable answer of Chancellor Palpatine.


	5. Chapter 5

Qui-Gon rubbed his tired eyes

Qui-Gon rubbed his tired eyes. He had spent almost seven straight hours studying the files Mace Windu had sent him.

He would have never guessed so many initiates had failed to be chosen in the past two hundred years, and to complicate the matter, most of them where humans.

Qui-Gon could not help but think of how much the Order would now need all those never-to-be Jedi. The war was killing far too many knights and their numbers had never been so low in the entire history of the order.

The Jedi master sighed as he recalled on the screen the pictures of the children he thought that could have grown up to become the man he saw in his vision. There were thirty-four candidates, all of them sporting light brown hair and clear eyes, but his gaze kept on returning to the same holopic on the top right of the screen.

Obi-Wan Kenobi—he remembered that boy well.

Twenty-five years before, Yoda had been set on convincing Qui-Gon to take another padawan. The old master had said the boy had great potential, but in Qui-Gon's eyes Obi-Wan Kenobi had been another youth with too much power and too much anger inside him.

Back then Qui-Gon had still been recovering from having lost his apprentice Xanatos to the dark side and he had not felt like taking another student, especially not one who had troubles in releasing and controlling his negative emotions. So he had ignored Yoda's urgings and the Force's call and had let young Kenobi be sent to the Agricorps on Bandomeer.

Years had passed, Qui-Gon's heart had healed and by the time Anakin had come along he had been ready to be a teacher again. He had insisted on taking the nine-years-old boy as his Padawan even after the Council had ruled it out—and had never regretted his decision.

He had never been afraid of Anakin's power or of the emotions the young man carried inside him…until now.

As he had told Yoda and Mace, Anakin had changed in recent months. He was not only more silent and brooding, but he was showing a distinctive lack of trust in both the Jedi in general and Qui-Gon in particular.

It hurt so very much to know Anakin did not trust Qui-Gon enough to tell him about his vision or confess his marriage to Padmé. Did not the young man know his master would never betray him?

Apparently not, he did not.

Qui-Gon sighed as he gazed again at Obi-Wan Kenobi's pic.

Why was he so drawn to it? Because he had known that boy or because the Force was indicating to him that Kenobi was the man he was looking for?

Qui-Gon ran a search in the Republican archives for information about Kenobi's life and his face fell.

According to the archives, Obi-Wan Kenobi had been on a ship that had gone missing twenty years before and since then there had not been more news about him. It looked like he had disappeared, probably because he had died when the ship had crashed somewhere.

Qui-Gon rubbed his eyes. He was tired—and hungry. He needed to take a pause and give some respite to his mind. He needed some fresh air and to leave his worries behind for a little while.

He needed… to visit an old friend.

--

Thirty minutes later Qui-Gon stepped inside Dex's Diner.

A droid waitress came to great him, "Can I help ya?"

"I would like to see Dexter, if he is here."

"Waddya want him for?"

"He's not in trouble. It's personal. We are friends."

The droid disappeared in the rear of the place as Qui-Gon sat at one of the table, folding his robe around him.

A few moments later, Dex came out from the kitchen, sporting a smile on his big face.

"Qui-Gon!"

"Hello, Dex!"

"What are you doing here, my friend?"

"I'm here to dine. Is your cuisine as good as in the past?"

Dex frowned as he sat in front of Qui-Gon. "I should feel insulted by this question, but you look pretty worn out, so I will let that pass." The big Besalik studied his friend for a while, then asked, "Is something wrong, Qui-Gon?"

"Besides this blasted war?" The Jedi master grimaced and added, "I'm trying to locate a man of whom I know only the face—but I have no pictures of him to show around. I only know he probably was a former Jedi initiate and that he is blind."

Dex shook his head. "Quite a daunting task."

"Don't tell me! Especially because the former initiate the Force was indicating to me seems to have died twenty years ago—or at least that was the time he disappeared."

"What's this man's name? I've met many people in the past and who knows, I may have heard of him too."

"Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"Kenobi," Dex murmured, stroking his chin with one of his four hands. "Has he anything to do with Ben Kenobi?"

"Ben Kenobi?" Qui-Gon shook his head. "I don't know. I have never heard that name before. Who is he?"

"He is a healer and a damn good one too. Ten years ago I was working in the mines on Langara. One day the ceiling in one of the galleries collapsed. I was able to flee just in time, but others were not so lucky and were trapped without air. When the rescuers managed to free them, most of the workers were more dead than alive. They were taken to Langara City Central hospital and trusted in the care of Ben Kenobi. He saved all of them, but he didn't use traditional medicine on them…he used his hands, or so I believe. I remember he was a young looking man, kind, gentle, with brown hair and beard and a cultured voice. Coruscant accent, I would say. And—oh star's end! He was blind Qui-Gon! You didn't notice it most of the time, so sure he was in his movements, but sometime, after a difficult healing, he was tired and needed help to find his way. Could he be your man?"

Qui-Gon nodded, repressing the excitement rising inside him. "Yes, he could."

He took out his datapad from his pocket and typed Ben Kenobi's name in the search engine. His mouth opened in surprise at the amount of news he found about the man. Apparently he was known in the whole galaxy as "the last hope" healer, the one you go to when everything else fails. People travelled from all over the Republic to reach the Central Hospital in Langara City to be healed by Kenobi. The search engine reported hundred of healings—but not even a holopic of the healer.

"Did you find something interesting?" Dex asked after a while with a smirk and Qui-Gon wondered how long he had been lost in his reading.

He smiled. "Apparently, yes. This Ben Kenobi is a Force healer, just like the man I'm looking for."

"Then I'm right if I say you will now leave without eating dinner, and rush to take the first transport to Langara?" Dex commented.

Qui-Gon nodded. "Yes, my friend, you are." He reached out and squeezed one of the Besalik's massive hands. "Thank you Dex, I would love to eat here, but finding this man is too important."

"Then go Qui-Gon, and may the Force help you."


	6. Chapter 6

The comlink beeped, breaking the silence of the night

The comlink beeped, breaking the silence of the night. Obi-Wan reached out with his arm and picked up the small object from where he had left it on his bedside table.

"Kenobi here," he said, his voice thick with sleep.

"_Ben, Terrell here. A woman has just been taken to the hospital. She is in labour_."

"I am on my way there," Obi-Wan answered, rising to a sitting position.

"_It's not necessary, it's just a normal labour. She is in good health and things are progressing smoothly. You should stay home and sleep…you were exhausted this afternoon."_

"I will sleep, Terrell, but only after this child is safely delivered," Obi-Wan replied, in a voice that did not admit replies.

"_As you wish. Terrell out_."

The comlink fell silent and Obi-Wan posed it back on the bedside table. He yawned and ran his hand over his face, trying to rub his torpor away. Force, he was so tired! He did not want to leave his bed—but he had to.

He needed to check that the woman was really all right and touch her face in order to discover if she was the one that had been haunting his dreams.

Obi-Wan was about to slip out of the bed when suddenly Asajj rolled atop of him, pinning him against the mattress.

"Where do you think are you going?" his bond-mate hissed, her breath warm on his cheek.

"You know where I am going. Let me up, Asajj."

"No, not this time. I have let you have your way for the last four nights, but that's enough. You are exhausted Ben. You need to sleep—you were barely able to stand up tonight."

Obi-Wan made an attempt to shake Asajj away, something he would usually be able to do with both his body and the Force, but this time his bond-mate was too much for him.

"Asajj," he murmured, trying to make reason with her, "Let me go. I must go…"

"No, you won't go. You will stay here and sleep while I go to see if this woman's hair is brown as the one in your dream. You are so tired you even forgot to ask Terrell," Asajj sent him a wave of love mixed with exasperation.

"You are right…but these visions…they are so terrible. They are tormenting me even during the day. I know something terrible will happen to that Jedi if his wife dies…" Obi-Wan shook his head, trying to banish the horror he was feeling.

Asajj pulled back from him. "Jedi? Wife? Jedi cannot be married—or so you told me."

"Yes, I know—but this one is. I know it." Obi-Wan shook his head, frustrated, but when he talked he was calmer, more like himself. "Asajj, dear, you are right, I cannot go on like this. I need to go to Coruscant and get in contact with the Jedi Council. I need to talk with them or I will end up mad. Will you come with me?"

"Of course I will come with you, Kenobi! As if it would really be a possibility that I would let you go alone near the Jedi!" Asajj said fiercely, her well-know dislike for the order flaring in their bond. However, before Obi-Wan could start defending the Jedi, his bond-mate's mood changed.

She kissed him with passion mixed with tenderness and slid her hands down his chest, caressing him, giving him pleasure and making his mind more open and receptive to the strong sleep suggestion she gave him.

The last thing Obi-Wan heard before oblivion claimed him was Asajj whispering, "Rest, my Ben, rest. Everything will be well."

Anakin was sitting in Padme's apartment as she went back and forth to the bedroom folding clothes.

"I sense someone familiar . . . Qui-Gon's been here, hasn't he?" he asked when he realized to whom belonged the presence he could perceive on the divan and the rest of the room.

"He came by this morning," Padme answered.

"What did he want?"

Padmé stopped and looked at him for a moment. "He's worried about you."

"You told him about us, didn't you?" Anakin asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

His wife did not answer and walked to the bedroom, but it was not something he could let drop. So he stood up from the couch and followed her.

"Don't be so suspicious, Anakin. He's your best friend, and he wants only what is good for you. He just came here to salute me before he left for Langara."

Anakin frowned. "Langara? Why is he going there? He should have left for Utapau."

"I know. I asked him and he answered that there has been a change of plans. Master Ki- Adi- Mundi is going to replace him on Utapau."

Anakin bent his head as he wondered what could have happened to make the Council change their plans. What else were they keeping hidden from him?

Padme walked by his side and squeezed his arm. "Relax Anakin. Don't worry so much. This is exactly what is bothering Qui-Gon and the reason he came here today. He says you're under a lot of stress."

"And he's not?"

"You have been moody lately."

"I'm not moody. It's just…I don't know. I feel…lost."

Padme frowned, concerned, "Lost? What do you mean? You're always so sure of yourself. I don't understand."

"Qui-Gon and the Council don't trust me—as this change of destinations proves."

"They trust you with their lives and Qui-Gon loves you as a son," his wife told him with a smile, but Anakin did not feel like answering.

"Something's happening . . . I'm not the Jedi I should be. I am one of the most powerful Jedi, but I'm not satisfied ... I want more, and I know I shouldn't."

"You expect too much of yourself."

They stopped in front of the window in their bedroom and Anakin put his hand on her rounded

belly. "I have found a way to save you," he said after a while.

"Save me?"

"From my nightmares."

"Is that what's bothering you?"

"I won't lose you, Padme," Anakin told her fiercely.

Padme raised her hand to caress his cheek and oblige him to look at her straight in the eye. "I'm not going to die in childbirth, Ani. I promise you."

"No, I promise you! I am becoming so powerful with my new knowledge of the Force, I will be able to keep you from dying. I now know who the man is in my vision…he is not real, but a personification of the powers I need to learn to save you. And I will do it, my love. I will, I swear."


	7. Chapter 7

Langara was a small planet located in the Mid Rim

Langara was a small planet located in the Mid Rim. Spared by the war, it was a natural paradise of tall mountains and stormy creeks, luxuriant forests and grassy meadows. It resembled Alderaan and Naboo, but Qui-Gon was not there to admire the landscape.

He was there to find Ben Kenobi, in the hope he really was the man he saw in his vision.

Qui-Gon stepped down from the gunship he had used to travel from the starcruiser to planet surface and scanned the busy Langara City Spaceport for the nearest exit.

The Central Hospital where Kenobi worked was located nearby and he could be there in less than an hour if he caught an airtaxi.

There, he was lucky. A public speeder had just landed on the other side of the landing platform he was in. Qui-Gon started running in that direction waving his hand to attract the driver's attention.

The doors of the speeder opened and two passengers stepped down. One was a woman dressed in a tight leather jumpsuit, bald and with skin as white as Qui-Gon had ever saw.

The other passenger instead was a normal human, with ginger hair and a beard.

Qui-Gon narrowed his eyes as he quickened his pace. Was it a trick of his mind or was the woman actually leading the man by his elbow as it was usually done with blind people?

A shuttle landed just in front of Qui-Gon and he had to stop running to avoid being hit. By the time he circled the ship, the man and the woman had disappeared from his sight.

Cursing under his breath, the Jedi master crossed the last tract of the landing platform and letting the Force guide him he ran down the steps leading to another level of the spaceport.

There! The bearded man was over there, standing still near a pillar, while his exotic companion was nowhere in sight.

Qui-Gon moved toward the man, elbowing his way through the crowd, his eyes never leaving his target. He had almost reached the man and was about to touch his shoulder when he felt something sharp being pressed against his ribs.

"Don't move," a female voice hissed.

He froze, just as the other man turned around.

Qui-Gon's heart surged. It was him! The man of his vision. He had found him.

"Ben Kenobi?" he asked, ignoring the vibroblade pressed against his side.

"Yes," the man answered, narrowing his eyes in concentration. "Do I know you?"

Before Qui-Gon could answer, Kenobi's companion, the white-skinned woman stepped between him and the healer, her blade still drawn.

"What do you want?"

Qui-Gon raised his hands, palms up to show the ill tempered woman he meant no harm.

"My name is Qui-Gon Jinn and I just need to talk with you."

A stunned expression appeared on Ben Kenobi's face. "Master Jinn?" he wondered.

"Former Jedi initiate Obi-Wan Kenobi?"

"Yes, that's me, Master Jinn."

"What's happening here? Do you know him?" the woman asked to the healer, staring suspiciously at Qui-Gon.

"Yes, Asajj, I know him. He is the Jedi master I told you about…"

"The scum that refused to take you as his apprentice? How do you dare to show your face again?" the woman snarled as her eyes flashed with rage. Despite all of his experience Qui-Gon had to force himself not to take a step back from her anger. She was powerful in the Force, and she was a Grey One, since both light and darkness were in her. Kenobi instead was pure light.

"Yes, darling, it's him. But now please, calm down. He is not here to hurt us." Kenobi turned to face his companion and they looked at each other for a while in silence, making Qui-Gon wonder if they were having a mental conversation.

After a while Kenobi turned toward the Jedi master and asked, "What do you want to say to me, Master Jinn?"

"Actually, I wanted to ask you to come to Coruscant with me. The Jedi Council would like to meet you."

"Really? This is quite fortunate because we were just going to leave for Coruscant too," Asajj commented, her eyes still wary.

"This is not luck, Asajj. I have the feeling Master Jinn is here to find me for the same reason I was going to ask to see the Jedi Council."

Qui-Gon arched an eyebrow at Kenobi's matter of fact tone. "I have been having visions-"

"-of a woman named Padme dying in childbirth. I have them too."

The Jedi took a deep breath and briefly closed his eyes to centre himself. "I think it would be better if we had this conversation in another place. There is a Republic starcruiser in orbit, waiting to take us to Coruscant. If you just would follow me…"

Qui-Gon gestured with his hand toward the landing platform where he had left his gunship and both Kenobi and his companion nodded, picking up their bags and falling in step with him.

The trip to Coruscant was mostly a silent one. Since it would take only a few hours to reach the planet at hyper speed, they all settled into a small lounge room, with several couches and tables scattered around and a big window.

Asajj found the room anachronistic and useless on a battle ship, but perhaps even the clone troopers needed some relaxation now and then. Whatever the case, the place and its couches suited her fine. Ben was still exhausted because of his recent lack of sleep and so, as soon as they were settled, she sent a strong sleep compulsion through their bond and knocked him out.

Her mate slumped against her shoulder like a log, and she lowered him on the divan, taking off his shoes and raising his legs on the cushions, before covering him with his robe.

"What did you do to him?" the Jedi asked her, accusation in his voice.

"I put him to sleep," Asajj growled back. "He is exhausted by all this visions mess. Or do you think those dark shadows under his eyes are permanent like my tattoos?"

"No… of course they are not," the Jedi commented as she settled on an armchair. "Can you tell me something about these visions he is having?"

"No. You will have to wait until Ben wakes up."

"Then maybe you can tell me something about yourself-"

"Listen Jedi, I'm on this ship only because of Ben," Asajj all but snarled. "I don't want to talk to you nor do I want to be near you or your kind. I'm here just to make sure you won't hurt him again." She moved aside the robe she had donned before boarding the ship, uncovering the lightsabre clipped to her belt. "Do you see this? I can use it well, so now shut up and leave me in peace."

Asajj smirked as she saw the Jedi swallow hard, uneasily. Good. Let the damned man be uncomfortable. She was sure that it was because of pompous banthas like him that her former master, Jedi Knight Ky Narec, had been left alone on Rattatak. Only an overbearing idiot could have refused to take Ben as his apprentice claiming he was full of anger. Ben! Full of anger! Ha!

The Jedi looked at her again and Asajj Ventress sustained his glance swearing that if he continued to stare at her like that, before they parted ways, Qui-Gon Jinn would discover what "full of anger" really meant.


	8. Chapter 8

"With you the Force is strong, young Obi-Wan

"With you the Force is strong, young Obi-Wan. To see you again and well brings warm feelings to my heart," Yoda said and Obi-Wan could feel a smile spread on his face. He had always had a soft spot for the diminutive master when he was a boy—and he still had it.

"Not so young anymore, Master," he answered, as he knelt in front of Yoda.

Yoda harrumphed. "Still younger than me, you are."

Obi-Wan laughed softly and stood up. Then reached out with his senses, to have a clear view of the room he was in.

It was small and the only furniture was composed of round, low meditation seats. Three were already taken by Yoda, Mace Windu and Qui-Gon Jinn and he was about to sit on a free one, when he noticed Asajj was still standing by the door, one hand on the hilt of her sabre, the other on her vibroblade. He sent her an invitation to sit at his side, but she shook her head, preferring to stay standing.

Obi-Wan felt like smiling, but it was a bitter-sweet smile. With his senses fully stretched, he felt the serenity of the Jedi Temple wash over him, but his bond-mate was not serene at all. Asajj was as tense as a bowstring, like a felinoid ready to pounce.

During the years they had been together, Obi-Wan had taught her the Jedi were not the enemies or bad people she believed them to be, but no matter how hard had tried, he had not been able to change her mind. At least she no longer wanted to be a Sith as she had wished for when they first met, he mused, as he sent his love and reassurance to Asajj.

Obi-Wan heard someone shift weight on the chair to his right. Master Windu was about to speak, so he turned his head toward him.

"Obi-Wan," the Jedi began, "we are really pleased to see you so well. While Qui-Gon came to find you, we had time to study the files of your accomplishments and we have been impressed by your dedication as healer."

Obi-Wan bowed his head, "Thank you, Master Windu."

"However, we were also surprised. You never showed any aptitude toward healing when you were here at the Temple; otherwise you would never have been sent to the Agricorps. May we know what happened?"

Obi-Wan nodded. "As you may remember, I had problems with sensing the Living Force when I was younger, and in fact I was not much of a farmer on Bandomeer. However things changed after I lost my eyesight."

"When happened it did?" asked Yoda.

"When I was eighteen. I was on a ship directed to Roon; it was damaged by an asteroid field and it crashed on Langara. I was the only survivor and I was in coma for almost six months. When I woke up I discovered I was blind. At the beginning I raged against it, but then I discovered my connection to the Living Force had dramatically improved—perhaps because I started trusting the Force with all myself. Anyway, I made some attempts to grow plants in the hospital garden and obtained great results. I thought I could now make a good farmer once I returned to Bandomeer, but I soon learned I could not leave Langara. While I was in a coma an epidemic of Xenon Plague had exploded on the planet and it had been quarantined. Nobody could arrive or leave. So, since I could not go anywhere, I decided to help the people who had cared for me while I was in a coma. It was while I was nursing victims of the plague that I discovered I could heal people, that I could command their midi-chlorians to do things. So I worked, studied medicine, learned how anatomy worked…and never left Langara."

Obi-Wan smiled experiencing again that deep sense of satisfaction he often felt when he thought back to his past. On Bandomeer he had been an unhappy, sullen, angry teenager. Being cast away from the Temple had been a blow from which he could not and would not recover. He had even stopped listening to the Force. Then he had lost his eyesight and everything had changed. His blindness and dealing with the plague victims had brought back his desire to help, to do good for others. He had matured and returned to follow the Force's will—and the Force had rewarded him.

It had given him a fulfilling life. A life spent helping people as he had dreamed as child, and it had also given him Asajj, his hot-headed, temperamental, beloved bond-mate. What more could a man ask for?

"Why did you change your name to Ben? Were you afraid the Agricorps would find you and take you away?" Qui-Gon Jinn asked.

"Yes and no. Ben is the name I was given by the hospital crew when I was in a coma and it somehow stuck after I awoke. People referred to me as Ben Kenobi and I didn't correct them. Also as you know, according to Bandomeer and Coruscant laws I was still a minor when the ship crashed and adopting a different name helped me to avoid me being found."

Obi-Wan felt a warning along the bond before Asajj snapped, "Are you quite finished with these questions? Ben has come here to tell something important, not to be interrogated as if he were a criminal."

/Asajj/ he sent along the bond, /they mean well./

/They are putting their nose where it doesn't belong./

"Tell us young Obi-Wan, who your companion is?" Yoda asked and Obi-Wan perceived the master's acute interest.

"I'm his lover, helper and guard-canid," Asajj belligerently answered, surely enjoying the shocked gasped she tore from Qui-Gon and Mace Windu.

"Asajj," Obi-Wan murmured, reaching out with his hand. "Please?"

His bond-mate left her place by the door and squeezed his hand, slowly sitting by his side.

"This is Asajj Ventress, my bond-mate."

"You're bonded you say? Very unusual it is. How happened it did?"

Obi-Wan rubbed his beard and turned to face Asajj as he answered. "Eight years ago, Asajj was brought to me more dead than alive after a ship crash. I sent her into a healing trance, but when I tried to leave her mind, a tendril of her Force signature wrapped around mine. I did not know back then Asajj had received some Jedi training nor that the bond with her master had been abruptly severed, otherwise I would have taken some precautions. As it was, our Force signatures bonded and it was immediately clear it was not a training bond that we had created."

"What happened afterward? Did you try to break the bond?" Mace Windu asked, curious.

Obi-Wan smiled, and raised his hand to caress Asajj's cheek. "Sort of. She tried to kill me."

"What?!"

"You heard right. I tried to kill him. I didn't want him in my mind. I didn't trust Jedi, even those formerly so. Luckily, Ben managed to escape my murdering attempts and to make me listen, really listen to him." Obi-Wan could feel her love flow through his mind. "I thus learned I could trust him and after a while trust turned to be love." Then all sweetness disappeared from her voice as she added, "You have to thank him and his teachings that I am not out there fighting at Count Dooku's side."

"Count Dooku is dead," Mace Windu interjected coldly.

"But his master, a Sith Lord called Darth Sidious is still out there—and this is why we need your help, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon completed.

"My help? How can I help you against the Sith? I am just a healer."

"Visions you have, Qui-Gon tells of," Yoda said.

"Yes."

"Tell us about them."

Obi-Wan obeyed and told the three Jedi about the images haunting him…

"-and so Masters, I thought to come here," he concluded. "I hope you may help me find this woman. I need to help her, for I know that if she dies her husband will be devastated and his devastation will have terrible consequences for the galaxy."

There was a long moment of silence, during which Obi-Wan wondered if the Jedi thought he was too arrogant because he reputed to be so important for the destiny of the galaxy, then Qui-Gon spoke again.

"Have you ever heard about the Chosen One prophecy, Obi-Wan?"

He shook his head.

"The Chosen One is a man born from the Force who it is said will bring balance to the Force and destroy the Sith. For many centuries this was reputed to be only a legend. Then, thirteen years ago I discovered a boy on Tatooine—a boy with no father and the highest midi-chlorian count ever recorded. I brought the boy here for testing, and the Council agreed with me: he was the Chosen One."

Obi-Wan nodded, very interested then something snapped in his mind and his mouth opened in realization. "He is the woman's husband! The man I see in my vision. And his name…his name is…" the Force whispered the answer to him, as all the pieces of the puzzle fell in place. "He is Anakin Skywalker, The Hero With No Fear."

"Yes, you are right. But the press was wrong in giving my former Padawan that nickname. Anakin fears for those he loves." Qui-Gon sighed. "Anakin was already nine when he arrived at the Temple and was set in his ways. He loved his mother and had problems in controlling and releasing his emotions. I tried to teach him he could not get attached, but it was difficult to make him understand why he should not."

"I can understand; it was the same for me—but in the opposite way." Obi-Wan turned to face Asajj. "I needed time to get in my head I was free to love." He sobered and added, "I guess Anakin never learned those lessons since he married."

"Yes…" Mace Windu muttered, disgusted.

"But it seems this fact was foretold by the prophecy…as was your involvement in this matter," Qui-Gon explained.

"What?"

"Listen to this, Obi-Wan, and you will understand." Qui-Gon cleared his throat, then recited:

"_A time will come when the Darkness will tempt the Chosen One,_

_When fear he will feel for someone he loves._

_But a man will come to help him._

_Lost in darkness, filled with Light,_

_The knight that should have been will save the Chosen One's love._

_And Darkness will not prevail."_

Obi-Wan was stunned, and so was Asajj. "I- I …do you think it is referring to me?"

"Yes. Qui-Gon has a vision similar to yours but in his you save Senator Amidala – Padme—from death. That's why he came in search of you, because he was the only one that knew your face. We also are aware that Anakin is having a similar vision, but we are not sure what, exactly, he sees. We are just concerned the Sith Lord might use his fears to turn him to the dark side. I don't think I have to tell you that if this happened…"

Obi-Wan shook his head, before closing his eyes and falling into a light meditation.

He should be shocked or upset to be involved in a scheme so much grander than him—but he was not. The Force was whispering to him that it was all right, that he really was the only one to save the Chosen One's wife and thus avoid the chance that the galaxy might be enveloped by the dark side.

There was no doubt in him and his quiet certainness flowed through the bond, reaching Asajj, calming her and showing her what was meant to be.

Obi-Wan took a deep breath and opening his eyes asked, "What do we do now?"


	9. Chapter 9

Obi-Wan had just uttered his question when Mace's comlink beeped

Obi-Wan had just uttered his question when Mace's comlink beeped.

"Yes?"

"_Master Windu? This is the Control Centre. We have just received a communication from Master Mundi: he has killed General Grievous and his troops are taking control of Utapau."_

"Thank you for letting me know. Windu out." Mace switched off his comlink and turned to face Yoda, "So the moment of truth has arrived."

Yoda nodded. "It has."

"I will talk with Palpatine at once."

"Alone you should not go. With other masters you go," Yoda advised.

Mace nodded, "I will take Masters Kolar, Fisto and Tiin with me."

"Good. To the Control Centre I will go; wait there for news I will. With Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon will stay."

"Yes, Master," Qui-Gon answered, then stood up as Yoda and Mace left the room. "May the Force be with you, Mace," he said to his old friend.

"And with you, Qui-Gon," Mace replied with a tight smile.

The two masters left the room and Qui-Gon found himself alone with Obi-Wan Kenobi and his companion.

The Jedi master was at loss for words, something unusual for a seasoned diplomat like him.

He thought it could be due to his concerns for Anakin now that it seemed clear his former Padawan was in serious danger to be consumed by darkness. True, the future was always in motion and Obi-Wan's vision could never become reality now that he was here.

Qui-Gon raised his head as he heard Obi-Wan get up and walk to stand near the window, arm crossed over his chest. He sensed the Force gather around him, as it was used to "look" at the landscape his eyes could not see.

Qui-Gon was impressed by Obi-Wan's power and by how controlled and serene he was. There was nothing in him of the angry teenager he had known.

Obi-Wan had said the loss of his eyesight had changed him, but Qui-Gon thought the incident may have merely caused the then eighteen year old boy to mature, to stop being childish and become a man.

This consideration made Qui-Gon shiver. He had refused Obi-Wan as a padawan because of his anger, without thinking the boy could have just grown out of it when the time was right. What did the prophecy say? 'The knight that should have been'. _Should_ have, not _could_ have. Obi-Wan was meant to be a Jedi and he would have been if Qui-Gon had just listened to Yoda's urgings and taken him as his apprentice.

Qui-Gon then wondered if the Jedi he could have trained could have been compared to the man now in front of him. The light in Obi-Wan Kenobi was almost blindingly pure, without any of the taints the war and its atrocities had left on many a Jedi's aura.

Qui-Gon sensed he was observed and returning to the present, he watched as Asajj Ventress stared at him with a belligerent expression. He had to admit she was quite an intriguing woman, with an interesting past. He wondered who had been her master. Probably a rogue Jedi, since she had not much control and he could sense some darkness in her.

It made him think of Anakin, with the difference his former padawan was not bonded – and thus bound to the light – to someone as Obi-Wan.

Asajj was like fire, Obi-Wan was like water, and water always wins over fire… especially if said fire is willing to be conquered!

Qui-Gon was smiling, a smile that threatened to become a full grin the more Asajj glared at him when, suddenly there was a violent shift in the Force.

Both Obi-Wan and Asajj's eyes widened as they looked at him. Qui-Gon took a big gulp of air to calm down. "Jedi have just died—very close to us." _Mace and the others?_

Obi-Wan nodded. "I feel the darkness has just grown more powerful. We must go there to help."

"What?" Asajj exclaimed raising to her feet. "Are you out of your mind Ben?"

"We must go…I sense that if I do not go now my vision will become reality."

Qui-Gon did not need to hear more. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the Living Force. As he had feared the source of unbalance in the Force came from the Senate building—and that was where they were going to go.

Now.

Obi-Wan felt the evening air whip his face and the Coruscant traffic roar in his ears as Qui-Gon piloted their speeder toward the Senate building at breakneck speed.

At his side, Asajj was so filled with tension he thought she would jump if someone touched her. He felt exactly like her, even if he was more able to disguise it.

"Faster, faster, faster," he chanted in his mind as the speeder turned sharply on the right.

"The Senate Building is straight ahead," Qui-Gon informed them. "Hold tight, we are going to land...now!"

The speeder brusquely lost quote, its pilot too hurried to make a by-the-book landing.

Obi-Wan's stomach churned as he grabbed the back of seat in front of him in an attempt to keep himself steady as the speeder came to an abrupt halt.

"Anakin is here too!" Qui-Gon exclaimed. "That's his speeder!"

"Then we must run," Obi-Wan replied and, completely opening his bond with Asajj, he shifted his perceptions until he was able to see through her eyes. It was a very tiring practice he seldom used and could not keep up for long, but he could not use the Force to negotiate his way in the foreign environment. The dark side was so strong it was clouding his senses.

"This way!" Qui-Gon instructed, leading them toward the hangar exit. A couple of guards tried to block his path but the Jedi sent them slamming against the wall using the Force without even breaking his stride.

Obi-Wan followed Qui-Gon closely as they left the hangar and entered inside the most private part of the Senate building, the one hosting the various delegations' offices. The corridors there deserted due to the late hour, and the more they proceeded ahead, the more the dark side became powerful.

Finally Qui-Gon exclaimed, "We are almost there, Palpatine's office is just beyond that corner."

Obi-Wan and Asajj nodded and they rounded the corner in a full run, only to skid to a halt when they found their way blocked by the corpse of three Jedi.

A quick examination with the Force told Obi-Wan the three masters were all dead, so he and his companions moved past them and entered the inner part of Chancellor Palpatine's office.

The scene awaiting them was most incredible, and made them freeze just before they crossed the threshold.

Mace Windu was standing, lightsabre ignited over the form of Palpatine. The Chancellor was sitting, back to the wall, near the shattered window that overlooked Coruscant. His hands were raised and lightning bolts were shooting out his fingertips, only to be blocked by Windu's lightsabre.

There was another spectator, and Obi-Wan recognized him at once as the young man of his dream—Anakin Skywalker. He seemed in a sort of trance, because he did not seem to notice he had company, so caught he was by what was happening in front of them.

At Obi-Wan's side, Qui-Gon unclipped his lightsabre, ready to intervene, while Asajj stepped closer to her bond-mate, her hand reaching out to touch his arm, as she moved to leave room for the Jedi.

Qui-Gon was about to enter the room, when Palpatine spoke to Anakin. "Come to your senses, boy. The Jedi are in revolt. They will betray you, just as they betrayed me," His face contorted in a grimace of pain. "You aren't one of them, Anakin. Don't let him kill me."

"Aarrrrggghhhhh . . ." Mace Windu growled, his bald head and face shining with sweat. The power behind the blue lightening had to be very powerful.

"I'm your pathway to power. I have the power to save the one you love. You must choose. You must stop him," Palpatine said again, his voice sounding weaker.

Obi-Wan took a deep breath. He sensed the fear grow inside Anakin—the fear for his wife. So the Sith knew about the young man's vision and fears and was exploiting them to convince him to join him…just as prophesied.

The healer could sense Anakin's fear was winning over his good sense, and that the young boy was about to capitulate and so he took two steps inside the room and said, "No Anakin, he is lying. I'm the one who will save Padme."

Anakin whirled around at the sound of his voice, and his eyes widened when he saw Obi-Wan's face.

"You- you are here…you are real!" He ran toward Obi-Wan and touched – tasted—his arm, as if he wanted to be sure the healer was really in front of him. "I saw you in my dreams…I-"

Qui-Gon stepped forward and put an arm around Anakin's shoulders. "His name is Obi-Wan Kenobi, but he is known as Ben Kenobi. He the most powerful Force healer in the galaxy—and a former Jedi."

A loud crash attracted their attention to the scene still unfolding nearby. Palpatine, who had looked powerless a few moments before had just used the Force to send Mace Windu slamming against the desk. He was now looking toward Obi-Wan with an expression of pure hate that made him shiver.

"Die Jedi!" the Sith Lord growled, as blue lightening erupted again from his fingertips, directed against Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan saw them coming, but before he could react, Asajj stepped in front of him and deflected the deadly energy with her green lightsabre.

The onslaught of power and the effort she had to make to resist disturbed Obi-Wan's perceptions and he lost his connection with Asajj's eyes. He slumped back in darkness, but not before he saw both Anakin and Qui-Gon raise their lightsabres to face the Sith.

Asajj grabbed Obi-Wan by his elbow and lead him into the antechamber, as inside the office erupted a ferocious battle, that lasted for several minutes, until finally silence fell on the room.

Obi-Wan felt the veil of darkness begin to rise just as Asajj exclaimed, "They have done it, the Sith is dead!"

He smiled. "Good." He sense Anakin and Qui-Gon come closer and he said, "Now take me to Padme. I think I will soon have to deliver twins."

"Twins?" Anakin repeated in an almost strangled voice.

"Yes-" Obi-Wan answered with a smile, then sobered as a new image flashed in front of his unseeing eyes…

_A surgery room, doctors are moving around calmly. Obi-Wan is sitting near Padme Amidala Skywalker, as she lays on the operating table. Her skin is rosy and she is smiling, gesturing with her hands as a nurse droid come__s closer holding two bundles wrapped in blue blankets._

_From behind a window, Anakin is looking, as Qui-Gon pats his back…or is he sustaining him? The young man seems on the verge of collapsing now that the tension and the adrenaline rush are ended._

_Obi-Wan thinks it would be best if he went to help Anakin, when Padme takes her children from the droid's arms and smiling brightly at him she says, "We will name them-"_

"-Luke and Leia." Obi-Wan completed.

"How do you know…? Anakin began, then shook his head. "It doesn't matter." The young Jedi turned to face Qui-Gon "Master, I…"

"There will be time later for explanations, Anakin. Now go. Mace and I will stay behind to deal with this situation."

Anakin nodded, "Yes, Master." Then Obi-Wan felt a hand pose on his elbow and together with Asajj the two men walked away.


	10. Chapter 10

EPILOGUE

**EPILOGUE**

Asajj Ventress slowly resurfaced from her hour long meditation. She opened her eyes and found herself face to face with her master.

"Pleased with your progress I am, Padawan," Yoda said, ears perked up.

Asajj bowed her head. "Thank you, Master."

"Released all your emotions you did. A good knight you will become."

This time she could not help but smile. Yoda's praises were rare and that made them special.

"Thanks to your teaching, Master."

Yoda harrumphed good naturally, "Rest of the day free, you have. To Obi-Wan, you should go. Great news to share, you have."

Asajj looked at him stunned, as one of her hands posed on her belly. "How do you know Master?"

Yoda's eyes glinted. "Many things I know, but tell you how, I will not. Now go."

Asajj nodded and stood up, still a bit shocked Yoda knew about her pregnancy when she had only learned about it a few hours before. A final bow to her master and then she left the gardens in search of Ben.

She strode confidently along the Temple hallways, exchanging bows with the knights and masters she met along the way.

Asajj was always awed by the way they treated her, with a respect she had never known but with Ben and Ky…the two Jedi or formerly so who had shaped her life. And now Yoda was completing their job.

Had someone told her a couple of years before she would have one day lived in the Jedi Temple and completed her training there, she would have probably strangled them.

Only now, with Yoda's guidance, she realized her anger toward the Jedi had just been a way to disguise her longing. She, contrary to Ben who had built a satisfying life for himself outside the Jedi order, had desperately wanted to be a Jedi, but all her hopes had died when Ky Narec had been killed. Her longing had transformed into anger and hate and the Force only knew how she could have ended up if Ben had not entered her life.

Their bond had been unplanned and unwanted, but it had been her salvation. Ben had been so different from her—and yet so perfect.

Yet, even while living at his side, helping him and basking in his love, Asajj had felt incomplete —and so it had been until the day Yoda had offered to take her as his Padawan.

Asajj would remember that day for the rest of her life. It had happened about a week after Ben had safely delivered the Skywalker twins.

The terrible visions Ben, Anakin and Qui-Gon had had never materialized. There was a tense moment when a haemorrhage had started inside Padme's body, but Ben had stopped it almost at once and the rest of the labour had gone smoothly, much to everybody's relief.

Afterward, Ben and Asajj had stayed on Coruscant, where they had to testify in front of a Senate commission about what they had seen and heard in Palpatine's office the night the Chancellor had been killed.

Once that task had been completed, there had been nothing more to keep them in Coruscant, so they had started packing for their trip back to Langara. Asajj had felt Ben's sadness at the prospect of leaving. He was beginning to forge a strong friendship with both Qui-Gon and Anakin and also liked being back in the serenity of the Jedi Temple—his first home.

So when they had been summoned by the Council because the masters had an offer to make, Ben had been more than a little hopeful.

The Council's offer to Ben had almost been a dream come true: the position of Chief Healer at the Temple with the stipulation that from now on the Healers' Ward would be opened to non-Jedi too. Being based in Coruscant would make it easier for the people looking for Ben's help to reach him and working along other Force healers would help him to treat more patients without exhausting himself as had happened in the past.

Standing at Ben's side in the centre of the Council chamber, Asajj had sensed her bond-mate's desire to say "yes" even before Master Windu had finished illustrating his offer. However Ben had kept his enthusiasm in check because he had not been sure she would have liked living at the Temple and had not wanted to force her.

It had been then that Yoda had dropped the bombshell and asked Asajj to give him the honour to complete her Jedi training.

It had been immediately clear, the rest of the Council had not been informed of their leader's intentions. Shock and surprise had poured from them while Mace Windu had seemed on the verge of apoplexy.

Asajj had been as stunned as the others and instinctively reached out to Ben, asking for his advice.

/I cannot choose for you/ his answer had been. /It's your life. Being a Jedi isn't an easy life, not even now they have decided to remove the rule against attachment. I can only tell you I will support you in whatever decision you make./

Asajj had closed her eyes and listened to what the Force was saying to her. Then she had given Yoda her answer.

"I accept your offer, Master Yoda. It will be a honour and a privilege to learn from you."

Thus she had become Yoda's Padawan. Their first times together had been as stormy as her first months near Ben. No, she had not tried to kill Yoda as she had done with her bond-mate, but she had questioned him and his knowledge at every turn, often letting her anger get the best of her. Then, one day Yoda had had enough of her temper tantrums and after levitating her in the air, he had dumped her in a chilly pool in the Room Of The Thousand Fountains.

It had been quite a humbling experience and from that moment on things had improved between Asajj and Yoda. She had started to listen to his teachings and now her goal of becoming a Jedi knight was getting closer and closer under the wise master's tutelage.

Asajj smiled again. She could not remember having ever smiled so often before in her life. But how could she not do so, now that everything was so good in her life? She had a wonderful bond-mate, she was close to achieving her dream and in eight months or so she would also become a mother.

Her smile became a full grin as turning the final corner she came to a halt in front of

her and Ben's quarters and palmed the door open.

Her bond-mate was home, sitting at his desk and typing on his datapad. Ben smiled up at her in welcome and opening their bond, she let her unrestrained love and joy wash over him.

Then, before he could ask her what was going on, Asajj sat down on his lap, wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered the good news in his ear, watching as Ben's unseeing eyes started shining as two azure stars…the most beautiful stars in the galaxy, she was quite sure.

THE END


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